• Louisiana Tech President Dan Reneau, who announced he would retire next year after leading the university for 26 years.

• University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett, who announced earlier this year that he was stepping down.

• LSU-Alexandria Chancellor David Martin, who announced he was leaving the college to become president of Drury University
in Springfield, Mo.

Some of the higher-ups have moved on without comment. Others, though, have spoken up as they prepared to walk out the door.

Martin complained about higher education budget cuts that have amounted to more than $425 million over the past few years.

‘‘Our ability to invest in ourselves just seems to continue to be hindered by policy and actions,’’ he said.

Moffett, who along with Reneau is
one of the most respected men in the state’s higher education field,
advised that universities
in the state need more freedom to raise tuition. He also said
higher education funding in Louisiana needs constitutional protection
and the popular TOPS tuition program needs changes.

Are all of these departures a matter of coincidence? Are the complaints a matter of sour grapes or sage advice to be considered?

That’s yet to be determined, but there seems to be plenty of smoke here, which causes one to wonder about the source of the
accompanying fire.

• • •

This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Bobby Dower, Ken Stickney,
Jim Beam, Crystal Stevenson and Donna Price.

Yes, in a way I agree it is. We have had budget cuts as Educatin and healthcare are the only two areas where the budget can be cut. Jndal and the Leg has done a very poor job in explaining this. I hear talk that we have too many schools per capita. Ok, so expand the per capita. Let's force the schools to be regional leaders in their chosen fields so out of state kids will want to come here. Aside from ensuring these schools teach the principles of free entreprise and free markets and limited govt, and eschewing the liberal cesspool that is most universities, and keep instate tuition reasonably low, the state should largely back away from micromanaging

Posted By: Joe On: 11/14/2012

Title: LSU-A Chancellor was David Manuel

"LSU-Alexandria Chancellor David Martin, who announced he was leaving the college to become president of Drury University in Springfield, Mo." His name is David Manuel, not Martin.